DIY Feature -Don Guth
In 2022, Maria and I drove 6,260 miles from Sarasota to Homer, Alaska, enjoying incredible scenery, food, and the outdoors. Inspired by the RVs we saw, we sought a compact, kayak-friendly trailer for easier travel. Wander Tears trailers were the perfect fit—our adventure capsule for years to come!
Don and Maria started building their own DIY Vaga in Florida
What made you want to build a tiny camper?
Maria and I embarked on a month-long road trip in 2022, driving 6,260 miles from Sarasota, Florida, to Homer, Alaska. Growing up immersed in outdoor activities—Maria in Sweden and I in California—we relished the incredible scenery and food along the way.
During our journey, we saw all types of RVs and began dreaming of a smaller, more maneuverable option for spontaneous stops—something tough to do with our full-size truck and 25-foot trailer. Our search led us to Daniel and Paige’s Wander Tears trailers, the perfect fit for our needs: compact, kayak-friendly, and a comfortable alternative to sleeping on the ground. This little adventure capsule promises many exciting journeys ahead!
What was your experience level with the skills required to build a camper (wood working, electrical, metal work, etc.) when you started?
My background is in design and fabrication, I’m a high believer in if you can think it you can build it, we design and fabricate electric vehicles for the film industry and so many other items that requires the wearing of 5 different hats on a normal day so executing the tasks needed to build Vaga Teardrop with the plans purchased for Wander Tear’s makes the experience much less challenging for a novice builder.
What was the first step in your build?
I have a habit that can’t leave well enough alone, I decided to lengthen my trailer a bit so I could add side windows and I also wanted to bring my electric’s inside although keeping my battery and charger together in the tongue box, there’s a lot of factors to consider when deviating from the original plans and I believe that the 5x8 plans that are provided are ideal for most all builders.
I started my project off with building the frame, adding brackets for ground lighting and two 1 1/4 receiver tubes for kayak tie down points, I added a bracket for an additional trailer light plug at the rear of the trailer welded to the 2x2 receiver so I could have additional turn/brake lights at the rear left and right low corners.
What was your favorite part of the build?
So far I would say getting the interior assembled ( mostly ) lite with warm overhead lights listening to music and having ice cream with Maria!
What was the most difficult part of the build?
The Most difficult part would have to be the worrisome weeks during Hurricane season, I didn’t want our trailer to be 1/2 finished and have it taken away by a storm.
How long did it take you?
I’ve been working on it the Vaga on and off since March, I travel for work at times or need to go to our Georgia location here and there plus the Hurricanes running me off so the build gets stretched out..We have reservations to camp in northern Florida in December 🤞🏼
Would you do anything differently?
I added a number of my own features and I believe we’ll really enjoy the larger window to peer out into nature during our travels. Besides that, start tomorrow do it, it’ll be challenging at times but push though and enjoy the process, don’t rush it, it’s your creation and you will be proud of your achievement !
What are you most looking forward to?
I installed a Timbren off road independent suspension to get way away…you’ll all see my post about this in the future.
Any tips for someone that wants to build a tiny camper but doesn’t know where to start?
Start tomorrow do it, it’ll be challenging at times but push though and enjoy the process, don’t rush it, it’s your creation and you will be proud of your achievement!
How did using Wander Tears DIY plans and having the resources provided affect your build process and time?
The Wander Tears team have extended the knowledge they’ve gained though their research plus trial and error for the average builder to a excel at building a great teardrop that can last years, for a very reasonable cost. You’ll be able to find all needed materials with the help of the included material list and support from other builders online. Plus their Youtube build videos and picture are worth a thousand words …
“Daring to plunge into the unknown may very well land you in paradise.” ”
Looking to build a DIY Teardrop Trailer of your own? Check out our detailed DIY plans to get started now and adventuring sooner!